The Daily Mail is reporting tonight that Harry Potter is now required reading for A-level students in the UK. The paper says that Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (Sorcerer’s) Stone is one of the books students will be tested on in exams given by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), the largest exam board in the UK.
According to the paper, students “taking the English language and literature A-level next year will study Rowling’s first Potter volume – the 12th best-selling book of all time and the basis for a Hollywood film – along with one other book for the module Themes in Language and Literature. They will have to write a 1,200 to 1,500-word piece of coursework comparing the “approaches” of J.K. Rowling and the other writer.Examiners will mark students on how they relate story lines and the activities of Harry Potter and his friends to the context of the times. And students will have to show an understanding of J.K. Rowling’s use of language, described recently as gibberish by a High Court judge. They will also have to write their own 500 to 800-word story inspired by the book.”
While many here may view this favorably, apparently some in the English government are not as excited about the inclusion of the Harry Potter series along side other classic works such Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.
Professor Alan Smithers, a special adviser to the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee, said: “The point of English literature is to provide works that have stood the test of time and that allow people to understand their place in the world as others have understood it.I don’t think Harry Potter is appropriate as a set text; I don’t see how it fits in with that. It may be an enjoyable read but I don’t think we are just trying to keep people occupied.”
Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, added: “This is all done in the name of relevance and popular culture, but it is not why children go to school.They should be encouraged to read and understand the great works of English literature. Harry Potter may be what children want to read, but that doesn’t mean it should be part of an A-level.”
Last night the AQA said: “Harry Potter is a genuine example of literature of our time and therefore entirely deserves its place in this unit. We believe that it will prove a popular and engaging inclusion.”
I wish they do it here in the U.S. I will past the test with flying colors. I believe that they should go through with the idea and let students enjoy studying Rowling’s books.
I think it’s a great idea. Harry Potter is not only a novel, it’s a phenomenon, and I think that in itself makes it suitable, even necessary to study, particularly for the British.
Posted by Sam:
“I love Harry Potter and do regard it as a great work, but considering I read the first book as a third grader, it’s a little strange that they would make high school students study it.”
I don’t think it is strange at all. Consider an example from American Literature, Huckleberry Finn. There are many third graders out there with the capability to read and enjoy Huckleberry Finn. However, Huckleberry Finn is also perfectly acceptable reading for the AP Literature and Composition test. The story is easily understood and enjoyed, however it has compex themes, symbolism, and allusion that are not so easily understood and that are prime material for sophisticated analysis. I think that Harry Potter is very similar in this respect, and anyone who has the capability of seeing this complexity, but refuses to do so because HP is “popular” or “modern” is seriously underestimating and disrespecting the text.
Harry Potter has been studied in the lower levels (13 and 14 year olds) at the high school I went to for the past 4 or 5 years, and the English department is very highly regarded … so I don’t find this that bizarre.
However, it does weird me out that students are basically being asked to write fanfiction …
“inspired by the book” does not neccessarily, and most likely does not mean fan fiction. I took that to mean a story that draws on themes from the book, not a story that uses the HP characters.
Pockin, take a look at this: http://www.bellerbys.com/english/study/education.aspx
How awesome would this be if they incorporate HP into the AP English curriculum here in the US? I think this is wonderful that it is now part of a widespread, highly regarded course in the UK. To have students analyzing it amongst other brilliant works will be a fantastic undertaking. And I love that there’s a fanfiction component… this really just make me so happy!
I really don’t think Harry Potter is suitable for A-levels. Harry Potter, is, can we say, entertainment? Given it’s of a higher caliber than Twilight or Gossip Girls, but it doesn’t serve much literary value.
If anything, it can only serve as a good discussion for an example of the “Hero’s Journey”, but that’s about it. As much as I LOVE Harry Potter, I don’t think it can be taken this seriously.
it’s about time something new makes it into the curriculum.
I haven’t any doubt that Harry Potter will be regarded fifty years from now as JRR Tolkien novels are today, and it’s the perfect opportunity to study them while there’s still more to learn from the author.
I was going to write loads but Fossil sums it up nicely. I was reading classics by the age of 10 – but that didn’t mean that I fully understood the multiple meanings that the text generally had. Harry Potter includes many relevant themes and allusions, and is therefore perfectly acceptible for studying.
burningpumpkins:
I disagree, see the previous page for my response.
Posted by Finn BV : “How awesome would this be if they incorporate HP into the AP English curriculum here in the US?”
Unfortuneatly that is not as easy as it sounds because of the way the AP Lit is set up. In AP lit there is no required reading. In fact, technically, you could read anything you wanted and be able to answer the questions (although you may not neccessarily be able to answer them well). How it works is, in the essay portion, the questions ask you to analyze specific rhetorical devices and/or specific themes in a text of your choice. They then give you a long list of texts that they think would be good for that specific question, however you do not have to use a book that is on the list. In theory, you could write an essay about Harry Potter as long as you analyze what is asked and draw a conclusion. However, the catch is, the person who grades your exam will probably be extra critical of your essay if you do that, especially if they believe HP has no merit. Therefore, you do not write about HP on the AP test because you just do not want to take that risk, it is just not worth it.
In addition, one of the many excellent things about the Harry Potter books is that they can be read from so many angles. You can read it as a simple fictional story, study the writing style, analyze the themes, explore the meanings behind names, and I’m sure there’s more.
Perhaps 1 book is not enough… I think it would be interesting to study the whole cannon and THEN compare it to another work.. not simply the first one… it would be interesting to compare it to the Chronicles of Narnia with a theological lense. I think that would be the basis of an excellent paper or class for/in college. wouldn’t be surprised if someone at Scribby already did it. I’ll go look.
And to answer burningpumpkins’ post : what does entertainment mean? I think I was very entertained when I read Romeo and Juliet…
I’m italian and in the italian school is required for everybody to read “La Divina Commedia” (The Divine Comedy) by Dante Alighieri. It’s a classic for us!!! And that’s not the only one… they teach us about italian Writers, Painters, Architects, Compositors.. all who lived at the most in the first half of the 20th century.
But what about now??? What about all the amazing … Writers, Painters, Architects, Compositors…. that we have now!!! In the present!!!
I think it’s a great idea to have students studying something that they can relate to more easly!
Just because the HP books came out in very nice, colorful, laser printed covers, doesn’t mean they are not literature!!!
I wish they do it here in the U.S. I will past the test with flying colors. I believe that they should go through with the idea and let students enjoy studying Rowling’s books.